Monthly Archives: November 2016

Othello Analysis and AP Assessment

Objectives: Students will be able to gain deeper understanding of Othello and the nature of Shakespearean tragedy  through close reading and discussion in a small group setting.

Agenda

Do Now:  In pairs, share ACTIVITY 10 Question 2 about Othello ( page 159). Raise a question based on your discussion.

Mini Lesson and Guided Practice

  1. Reading Questions about I.ii( page 158)

After developing a basic understanding of the passage, reread the specified lines and answer the provided close reading questions to help you further understand the plot presented. Use the vocabulary presented in the right-hand column as needed; however, use your own words, not Shakespeare’s, to express your understanding.

2. Consider the characterization of both Othello and Iago throughout this passage when answering the following questions.
a. Which of the following words best describes Iago’s interactions with Othello?
supportive compassionate
callous punishing
b. In what ways has Iago changed since Scene One?
c. Which of the following words best captures how Othello presents himself?
assertive /confident /weak/intelligent/ irreverent/ smart/ powerful /capable/ immature/ apprehensive/ vulnerable
d. Explain your reasoning.
e. Which of these words are antithetical to how Othello presents himself in this passage?
Explain your reasoning.
d. Re-examine your summary of Iago’s plan (question eight of Activity Two). In your
opinion, is he fulfilling the plan he set out in the first scene?

Independent Practice:

  • Share and present Activity 11 in the packet.(161-162)
  • Share and present Activity 13 in the packet (166)

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Self-Assessment: Review of holiday homework- reading with MCQ of John Done and Andrew Marvel.

Homework: Read Act 2 and complete activities 1-4 ( 167-175) in the packet.

AP Essay Rubric/Scoring Guide Review

Objectives: Students will be able to analyze and evaluate a student essay by using the AP Essay scoring guide or rubric through small group discussions.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.1.A
Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s),

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.1.C
Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.1.D
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.2.C
Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.

Materials:

  1. 2015 AP Literature Open-ended Question packet ( page 13)
  2. AP 2015 scoring guidelines ( page 15)
  3. Hand out -Construct a Score Commentary( page 31); Scoring Guide Overview ( page 10)

Agenda

Do Now: Describe one of the criteria you know, according to which your AP essay is scored.Pair share.

Mini Lesson:

A. Becoming familiar with the AP Literature Scoring Guide ( page 10)

In a small group, read the scoring guide ( page 10) and the AP 2015 scoring guidelines( page 15). List key characteristics of one of the categories below in the scoring guide on a poster paper.

  1. 9-8 essays
  2. 7-6 essays
  3. 5 essays
  4. 4-3 essays
  5. 2-1 essays

B.Present your ideas to the class.

Independent Practice

Read the student sample essay  ( page 13 in the packet) and construct a score commentary by completing the worksheet ( page 31) in the small group.

Assessment

Use the criteria in each category and your comments, what score can we award the student’s essay? Why?

Collect the scoring commentary sheet.

Homework:

  • Use the scoring guidelines to guide your essay revision.
  • Read Act I of Othello and pick a passage(part of a scene or a monologue, no longer than a page)  that you are most intrigued with. Explain what makes the passage stand out to you and your understanding of it. How does the passage function in the the act? In other words, in what ways is the passage critical to the understanding of the entire act ( Act I)?

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Unit 2: Oedipus

Unit 2: Poetics & Oedipus Tragedy Unit 2: Poetics & Oedipus Tragedy

Content

Click the link to access the unit lesson
Odeipus the Rex
Notes on Classical Tragedies and tragic heroes
Oedipus Rex E-Text
Lesson 1
Objectives: Students will become familiar with the Oedipus legend and the concepts of tragic heroes and classical tragedies.
Aim: How are classical tragedy and tragic hero defined respectively?
Do Now: What’s the Oedipus legend?
Mini Lesson
What you need to know-
Notes on Classical Tragedies and tragic heroes
A. Tragic Hero
Tragedy is the limitation of a certain magnitude. The tragic hero is a man of noble birth, a man of high degree. His fate affects many. He is good but has flaws (hamartia). His flaw is an error or frailty and is not caused by vice or depravity. His flaw brings about his inevitable down fall or catastrophe. Tragic irony lies in the contrast between the vision he has of his future and the disaster, which befalls him. Despite the inevitability of his fate, (disaster, catastrophe). The protagonist asserts his dignity and is committed inexorably to a noble cause. He believe he is doing the “right “thing. He struggles against his fate (disaster, catastrophe, and downfall) which is inevitable. He struggles to be more than human and increase his stature as a man. But since he is a man, he goes too far. He experiences a reversal and recognition. He recognizes his error and suffers profoundly. He has to suffer pity. He suffers and protests his fate. The suffering enables him to become human, wise, and see his place in the universe that he is not a god, but a man, limited. The audience watches the spectacle of suffering and experiences fear and pity and then catharsis. The release of these emotions leaves a sense of tragic awe at the nobility of human spirit, which struggles against its limitations.
B. Elements of Tragedy according to Aristotle
Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Song and Spectacle.

  1. The Plot is the most important part of a tragedy. The plot means ‘the arrangement of the incidents’. Normally the plot is divided into five acts, and each Act is further divided into several scenes. The dramatist’s main skill lies in dividing the plot into Acts and Scenes in such a way that they may produce the maximum scenic effect in a natural development.
  2. Characters are men and women who act. The hero and the heroine are two important figures among the characters.
  3. Thought means what the characters think or feel during their career in the development of the plot. The thought is expressed through their speeches and dialogues.
  4. Diction is the medium of language or expression through which the characters reveal their thoughts and feelings. The diction should be ‘embellished with each kind of artistic element’.
  5. The song is one of these embellishments. The decoration of the stage is the major part of the spectacle. The Spectacle is theatrical effect presented on the stage. But spectacle also includes scenes of physical torture, loud lamentations, dances, colourful garments of the main characters, and the beggarly or jocular appearance of the subordinate characters or of the fool on the stage. These are the six constituent parts of tragedy.

Independent Practice: Interpret the tragedy and tragic hero definition according to Aristotle’s Poetics.
Review: Notes on Tragedy
Elements of Greek Tragedy

  1. Plots were religious myths familiar to the audience
  2. No suspense-more subtle techniques
  3. foreshadowing-hint or clue of a future event
  4. verbal or “Sophoclean irony”-audience knows more than the character and a different meaning for the audience

All Greek plays had Unity

  • Time-takes place within a single day
  • Place-scene does not change
  • Action-one story-no subplots

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Form

  1. Sophocles changed form of Greek Tragedy
  2. Added scene painting and a third actor
  3. Increased the chorus from 2-15

The Chorus

  • Sets the mood
  • Represents the common man
  • Sides with one character or another
  • May warn a character of possible danger

Aristotle 384-322BC

  1. Wrote Poetics-the study of Greek Drama

Tragedy

  1. Subject of tragedy is a struggle and down falls of a hero
  2. Aim of tragedy is to bring about a catharsis–is a process that causes the audience to feel pity and fear and then purges them of these emotions so that they leave the theater feeling cleansed and uplifted.
  3. Audience feels pity for a hero because he doesn’t deserve his misfortune
  4. Audience feels fear because they recognize that the hero is a man like themselves and what happened to the hero could happen to them.

Tragic Hero

  1. Man/Woman of noble birth-a “good” person, not god-like
  2. Has a flaw in his character
  3. Usually pride, hubris that ultimately causes his downfall
  4. Hero’s fate flows from his character(flaw) it is not the result or an accident
  5. involved in a noble cause-an action of a certain magnitude in which the hero believes he is doing the right thing.
  6. Struggles against his fate that is inevitable
  7. Experiences reversal and recognition
    • Reversal-the opposite of what is planned for actually occurs
    • Recognition-lives and suffers with the knowledge of what he has done

IV. Vocabulary words on Oedipus
Hubris/Hamartia/Peripetaia/Theban Plays/Prologue/Parodos/Strophe/Antistrophe/Ode(Chorus)/Exodos
Reflect: How different is Aristotle’s definitions of tragedy and tragic hero from your prior knowledge of these concepts?
Homework: How would you describe Oedipus as a king? Select a specific passage for your analysis.
Review and complete the study questions based on Prologue and Parodos.
Lesson 2
Objectives: Students will be able to synthesize the kind of king Oedipus is based on the individuals’ analysis of a specific passage in a small group.
Do Now: Make comments on the quote interpretation. How accurate is the interpretation? Why?
Mini Lesson:

  1. Review the notes from Lesson 1 about the elements of a classical tragedy.
  2. Review the vocabulary and study questions based on Prologue.(Review and complete the study questions based on Prologue and Parodos).

Independent Practice:
In a small group, share your analysis of King Oedipus. Then synthesis your analysis of the king and come up with a new thesis that reflects that everyone’s analysis.
Homework: Read scenes 1 & 2 and use the guided questions as you read.
Lesson 3
Objectives: Students will be able to continue to analyze Oedipus as a king based on scene 1 in a small group.
Do now: In a class google doc, respond to the following questions (assigned 1-2 questions) –

  1. What is the state of Thebes as the play begins?
  2. What does the priest want of Oedipus?
  3. Why does the priest think that Oedipus is better able to help Thebes than any other individual?
  4. What is Oedipus’ reaction to the words of the priest?
  5. What does the line “let them all hear it…” (page 7) reveal about Oedipus?
  6. What did the Oracle at Delphi tell Creon?
  7. Who was Laios and what happened to him? Why is this important to Thebes at the time the play begins?
  8. What is foreshadowing? How does it begin to show itself early in the play?
  9. What is irony? How does it begin to show itself early in the play?

Mini Lesson:
Read scene 1 , the long speech by Oedipus ( page 12-15). How does the speech illustrate some of the qualities listed in the Tragic hero passage?

  1. What three things does Oedipus proclaim about the murder of Laios in Scene 1, pp. 12-13?
  2. Who is Teiresias and why does he appear in the play? Who has sent for him?
  3. What is ironic about Teiresias?
  4. What is Teiresias’ reaction when Oedipus asks the seer for his help?
  5. How does the mood of the play change with the appearance of Teiresias? What is the meaning of his dialogue on pp. 18-20?
  6. Why does Creon’s name come into the argument? (p. 20)? Of what does Oedipus accuse Teiresias and Creon?
  7. What is ironic/foreshadowing about the lines on pp. 21-22? Why does Teiresias mention Oedipus’ parents?
  8. What is the meaning of Teiresias’ prophecy to Oedipus on pp. 23-24?
  9. * What do you think Teiresias thinks of Oedipus by the end of Scene 1?

Independent Practice

  1. In a small group of 2-4, respond to the assigned questions above in a google doc.
  2. Work on revising your claim about King Oedipus ( based on both Prologue and Scene 1).

Assessment: Teacher reads the responses in google doc and assess class understanding.
Homework:
A. Respond: study questions based on Parados

  1. What main literary device is found in the strophe, page 10? Explain.
  2. What other literary device is found in the same strophe? Explain.
  3. Upon which gods does the Chorus call in order to help Thebes? Why these gods?
  4. What is the meaning of the last two lines of the Antistrophe 3, page 12? Why do you think they are said as Oedipus enters?

B. Read Scene 2 and respond to 2 of the following questions in class google doc for Oedipus unit-

  1. How does Creon defend himself against Oedipus’ accusations of conspiring with Teiresias to take over the throne?
  2. Explain p. 30 – “It is a sentence I should cast my vote for – but not without evidence!” Why is this point important?
  3. What is the reaction of Choragos?
  4. Why does Oedipus continue to believe that Creon is his enemy?
  5. What is Iocaste’s reaction to Oedipus’ accusations?
  6. What “proof” of the falseness of prophecies does Iocaste give Oedipus? Why does she share this incident with Oedipus?
  7. What is your reaction to Iocaste’s story? Oedipus’ reaction?
  8. What does Oedpius learn from Iocaste’s details?
  9. Describe Oedipus’ tale, pp. 40-42.
  10. As Oedipus and Iocaste relate their stories of prophecy, what conclusions are the readers drawing? What “answers” have you arrived at from these clues?
  11. * How does Oedipus’ mood and attitude change throughout Scene 2? Why?

___________________________________
Lesson 4
Objectives: Students will be able to defend or accuse Oedipus or Teiresias argument with textual evidence.
Do Now: Write a 2-sentence summary of scene 1 and scene 2 respectively.Pair share.
Mini Lesson:
What’s Oedipus’ argument in Scene 1? How does he defend his argument?
What’s Teiresius’ argument? Hoe does he argue for his point?
In pairs, we’ll have a debate between Teiresias and Oedipus. Be sure to use the original lines and inferred arguments.
Analyze Ode 1: Strophe vs Antistrophe ( pages 25-26)
Independent Practice:
What’s Oedipus argument in Scene 2? What’s the purpose of his argument?
What’s Creon’s argument? What’s his attitude toward Oedipus? How do you know?
Reflect: How does Sophocles reveal/expose his characters?
Homework: Read Scene 3 and answer the following questions-

  1. What important news is delivered to Oedipus at the beginning of Scene 3?
  2. What was Iocaste doing at the beginning of Scene 3? What is her reaction to the news of Polybus’ death? What does this reveal about her character?
  3. What is Oedipus’ next concern after learning of Polybus’ death?
  4. What additional news “news” does the messenger give Oedipus?
  5. What is the meaning of “Oedipus”? Why is this important?
  6. What is Iocaste’s reaction to the messenger’s “news”? What does her behavior foreshadow for the audience?
  7. Why doesn’t Oedipus heed Iocaste’s warnings not to pursue the news from the messenger further?
  8. What does Oedipus think about his origins (p. 56 to the end of Scene 3)?
  9. What emotions are present at the end of Scene 3? What does the audience (reader) expect to happen at this point?

_______________________________________________
Lesson 5
Objectives: Students will analyze why scene three is the ” reversal ” of event based on the definitions of classical tragedy through creating a plot line with detailed events that demonstrate the rising or turning point movement.
Do Now: Write a one-sentence summary of scene 3. Select one line in scene three that represents scene 3.
Mini Lesson:

  • The roles of chorus: strophe and antistrophe-

Read part of scene 2 or three and discuss the roles of chorus.

  • the use of allusions

Independent Practice:

  1. In groups of 4, create a scene in which you present the arguments from each main character and the comments by strophe and antistrophe by selecting the most representative lines from scene 3.
  2. Create a plot line with major events that illustrate the rising action and turning point up to scene 3.

Groups present.
Reflect: Why is the significance of scene 3?
Homework: Read scene 4 and Exodus.
As a group, prepare for the final group performance( on Friday). You may need to write a script for your group performance.

  1. Prologue: group 1
  2. Scene 1: group 2
  3. Scene 2: group 3
  4. Scene 3: group 4
  5. Scene 4/Exodus: group 5

____________________________________________
Lesson 6
Objectives: Students will be able to give critique based on the group dress rehearsal of Oedipus.
Agenda
Do Now: Get together with your group member and go through he scene in 5 minutes.
Mini Lesson:
Performance rubric review-

  1. Demonstrate a clear purpose
  2. Reveal the character
  3. Chorus need to take sides
  4. Modernize the lines when necessary

Groups perform.
Provide critique.
Reflect: What are the best moments in the performances? What can we learn from each other?
Homework: Continue with the rehearsal. Official Performance tomorrow.
Lesson 7
Objectives: Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the play Oedipus by performing the scene assigned.
CC STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)
Agenda

  1. Gather briefly with the group for 2 minutes and get the props ready.
  2. Perform the play group by group, scene by scene

While watching the performance, take note of each group’s strengths and weaknesses by circling the comments in the rubric.
Reflect: How does the performance project help you understand the play better( performing it as well as watching the performance).
Homework: Do one of the following and bring in your responses to the class tomorrow for group discussions ( type your response in google doc)

  1. Discuss Oedipus’s journey toward the truth of his biography. What human instincts prevent him from “seeing” the truth?
  2. Describe the acts of violence that occur off stage. How would you stage these events today?
  3. Chart the structure of Oedipus Rex, including rising action, conflict, climax, and falling action.Locate the precise moment when Oedipus moves from a psychological state of denial to open recognition of the truth. Now describe the stage picture at this moment, including all characters on stage. How might you place or “block” the actors playing each role for maximum effects.
  4. Discuss the motivations of the Chorus of Theban Elders as a voice of the polis.
  5. Discuss the theme of blindness in Oedipus Rex. Describe the use of intellectual, physical, and metaphoric blindness throughout the play.

__________________________________
Lesson 8
Objectives: Students will be able to analyze themes and other essential elements in Oedipus through small group discussion and class presentations.
CC STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)
Agenda
Do Now: View a set of images of Oedipus the play. What scene and themes are portrayed in the photos? Pair share.
More images
Mini Lesson
Literary criticism of the play Oedipus

Student Independent Practice

  1. In a small group, through google doc and face to face, share your written responses to the assigned questions by group.
  2. In a small group, through google doc and face to face, share your interpretation of the tragedy definition by group.

Assessment: As a group, come up with the best response and share with Damato.English @gmail.com
Homework:

  1. Oedipus Rex has many characters which contribute to its plot. Choose
    one of the following and explain why they are a significant character in the play. Provide at least three reasons why the character is significant, and support your reasons with evidence from the text:
    a) Tiresias
    b) The Sphinx
    c) Creon
    d) The Chorus
  2. In a group of 3, prepare a visual presentation together with construction papers on an assigned literary theory (due Monday)

_________________________________
Lesson 9
Objectives: Students will be able to analyze themes and other essential elements in Oedipus through small group discussion and class presentations. Objectives: Students will be able to evaluate the structure of an open-ended essay of the AP Literature exam through small group collaboration.

CC STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)

Agenda
Do Now: Groups present responses to questions.

Mini Lesson: Provide constructive feedback to the responses

  1. Group presentations
  2. Interpretations of quotations on tragedy

Student Independent Practice:
GO to google doc to share your written responses to the following-
Oedipus Rex has many characters which contribute to its plot. Choose one of the following and explain why they are a significant character in the play. Provide at least three reasons why the character is significant, and support your reasons with evidence from the text:

Do Now: Meet with your group members and share your own definitions of cruelty based on page 6 as well as the responses to questions on page 7-8.
a) Tiresias Mini Lesson
b) The Sphinx
c) Creon
d) The Chorus
Homework: Prepare for your group presentation on literary theory.
__________________________
Lesson 10
Objectives: Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of a literary criticism theory through small group presentations.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Do Now: Reconvene in the small group and email the teacher an electronic copy of the presentation

Mini Lesson: Review the procedures

    • Explain the concept
    • Provide examples to help your audience understand the theory
    • Review the sample introduction ( page 8)
    • a hard copy of the theory on a poster paper
    • Review a sample body paragraph ( page 10)
    • review the rubric

Independent Practice: Presentations Student Independent Work

Assessment: Each group will give an evaluation on other groups’ presentations by circling the appropriate scores on the rubric sheets.

Homework: Select one prompt from the following and brainstorm ideas of how you will respond to the prompt by using evidence from Oedipus to support your argument.
A.Choose an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incident or character in a work of fiction or drama of recognized literary merit. Write an essay that explains how the incident or character is related to the more realistic of plausible elements in the rest of the work. Avoid plot summary.

B. Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character’s actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.

C.  The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work’s meaning(Catch -22 by Joseph Heller)

D. In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Choose a work of literary merit that confronts the reader or audience with a scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot summary

E. Select a line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.
F. A critic has said that one important measure of a superior work of literature is its ability to produce in the reader a healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude. Select a literary work that produces this “healthy confusion.” Write an essay in which you explain the sources of the “pleasure and disquietude” experienced by the readers of the work
___________________________
Unit Assessments

    1. What’s the exposition revealed in the Prologue?
    2. Create a staged reading of the debate between Creon and Oedipus in scene ii. Discuss the use of logic and reason by each character.
    3. Explain Teiresias’s cryptic dialogue. What prevents him from speaking plainly?
    4. Complete a thesis statement as a group ( page 9)
    5. Discuss Oedipus’s journey toward the truth of his biography. What human instincts prevent him from “seeing” the truth?
    6. Describe the acts of violence that occur off stage. How would you stage these events today?
    7. Chart the structure of Oedipus Rex, including rising action, conflict, climax, and falling action.Locate the precise moment when Oedipus moves from a psychological state of denial to open recognition of the truth. Now describe the stage picture at this moment, including all characters on stage. How might you place or “block” the actors playing each role for maximum effects.
    8. Discuss the motivations of the Chorus of Theban Elders as a voice of the polis.
    9. Discuss the theme of blindness in Oedipus Rex. Describe the use of intellectual, physical, and metaphoric blindness throughout the play.
    10. In what order does Aristotle place each element of drama- Character, Plot, Speech, Thought ,song and Spectacle? Do you agree with the order? Why or why not? How does he define each element? c. How does Aristotle define tragedy? d. What’s Unity of plot? d. Why , of all plots, the episodic are considered the worst? e. According to Aristotle, what is considered a complex action? What does he mean by “Recognition” and “Reversal” scene? f. What’s considered a well-constructed plot? g. What kind of effects should a tragedy produce? h. How does Aristotle describe ” Complication, Unraveling and Denouement”
    11. Interpret the assigned quotation. Does each of the following quotation seem to express similiar ideas about the classical tragedy and tragic hero? Explain.
      1. And yet nevertheless the idea of nobility is inseparable from the idea of tragedy which cannot exist without it. Its action is usually calamitous, because it is only in calamity that the human spirit has the opportunity to reveal itself triumphant over the outward universe which fails to conquer it.
      2. Tragedy is essentially an expression of despair, but of the triumph over despair and of confidence in the value of human life.
      3. Tragedy a consequence of a man’s total compulsion to evaluate himself justly, his destruction in the attempt posits a wrong or an evil in his environment. And this is precisely the morality of tragedy and its lesson.
        Tragedy enlightens – and it must, in that it points the heroic finger at the enemy of man’s freedom. The trust for freedom is the quality in tragedy which exalts.
      4. Tragic Hero-“Nobody wants to be a hero… but in every man there is something he cannot give up and still remain himself – a core, an identity, a thing that is summed up for him by the sound of his own name on his own ears. If he gives that up, he becomes a different man, not himself.
    12. Oedipus Rex has many characters which contribute to its plot. Choose
      one of the following and explain why they are a significant character in the play. Provide at least three reasons why the character is significant, and support your reasons with evidence from the text:
      a) Tiresias
      b) The Sphinx
      c) Creon
      d) The Chorus

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Summative Assessment: Time Writing -Open -ended Question
Objectives: Students will examine the specifics embedded in each option of the open-ended question by reading closely and underlining the key words. They will write an essay based on the understanding.

Aim: What are you asked to write about specifically as described in each open-ended question? How do we use literary evidence to illustrate the question?

Learning Sequence
Activity 1: The class will be divided into 6 groups and each group (pair) will examine one of the following questions. Use chart paper to define and examine the characteristics/factors involved in the abstract concept. You may use mind mapping templates or a mind mapping platform, such as Coggle which works with Google classroom, to creatively wrestle with the issues raised during the beginning of this exercise. The website www.freetech4teachers.com has a particularly good post for mind mapping titled “Seven Tools for Creating Flowcharts, Mind Maps, and Diagrams.”

Write the quotations on butcher paper and members begin by answering the questions for the quote . Then, round robin the quotations by passing your response to an adjacent member. The second person should read the quote and the responses and add another thought or extension to each written response. The goal is to extend and improve the written response.
Finally, construct a working definition of the abstract concept that identifies all the major components of the concept. Be sure to discuss all parts of the question.

Activity 2: Discuss the difference between concrete and abstract tasks. identify examples of the concept within a work and discuss what that concept implicitly reveals about a character and why that concept is integral to the meaning of the entire work.

Activity 3: Mini Lesson Modeling an Introduction
Examine a sample introduction as a way to assess writing and consider how thematic statements can help tackle the expectations of the open question. The sample provided earned an upper half score. Listen to an introductory paragraph and discuss the pros and cons.
“In his novel All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy introduces protagonist John Grady Cole, whose moral foundation is repeatedly tested in the wild and dangerous Mexican outback. Even though Cole ultimately maintains his strict moral code’s integrity, he is forced to compromise in the face of extreme hostility, both physical and mental. Through McCarthy’s exploration of the effects of physical and emotional acts of cruelty, John Grady Cole has his moral foundations tested as his reliliency eventually prevails.”

Activity 4: Write your own thesis statement.
Sample 1 During his extended time in Mexico, Cole faces the painful wrath of the Mexican prison system and the unfortunate events that lead to his persecution. Cole orginally embarks for Mexico to escape his parents’ separation and to find a new life. However, when he meets the young Blevins, who kills a man for taking his runaway horse, Cole’s fortune turns for the worse, showing the perceptions he previously held about the world. Cole believes in kindness toward strangers and as Belvin’s foolhandy and rash qualities contrast with Cole’s calmness and steadiness, it becomes apparent that Cole’s moral code is the dominant and resilient way of behavior. When Cole and another acquaintance, Rawlings, are unfairly placed in the awful world of a Mexican prison, Cole’s morality is tested and compromises must be made. Cole is attacked by an assassin in cold blood for refusing to conform to the disturbing norms of prison gangs, and he is forced to kill the attacker. The cruelty of not only the justice system, but the Mexican prison as well, make Cole compromise on his morals in order to survive. Such cruelty pushes him to sacrifice morality for survival, a common theme in episodes of systematic hostility everywhere. Eventually, however, Cole maintains his foundation albeit with adjustments, and prevails over the forces of hostility in his life as he restores the debts he owes and reinstates justice over the people who put him in prison.

Activity 4: examine the sample body paragraph-consider how to deepen the analysis and discussion of cruelty( concept) within the response.
A.Choose an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incident or character in a work of fiction or drama of recognized literary merit. Write an essay that explains how the incident or character is related to the more realistic of plausible elements in the rest of the work. Avoid plot summary.

B. Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character’s actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.

C. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work’s meaning(Catch -22 by Joseph Heller)

D. In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Choose a work of literary merit that confronts the reader or audience with a scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot summary

E. Select a line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.

F. A critic has said that one important measure of a superior work of literature is its ability to produce in the reader a healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude. Select a literary work that produces this “healthy confusion.” Write an essay in which you explain the sources of the “pleasure and disquietude” experienced by the readers of the work

2. Share in class your understanding of the question.

3. Continue working in the pair following Think-Pair-Share activity. Think individually ( write your thoughts down) how you can use Oedipus for the question. Talk to each other about your ideas and combine them. Share in class your best ideas.
Assessment: Present the evaluations in class.

4. Choose one of the questions and start writing your essay following the AP Essay rubric. Score the essay and write a brief rationale for the score.
Quick Reflect: How important is understanding the question thoroughly to writing an effective essay?
Homework: Finish the 1st draft of the essay. Due tomorrow.
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Lesson 9

Objectives: Students will be able to evaluate the structure of an open-ended essay of the AP Literature exam through small group collaboration.

Do Now: Meet with your group members and share your own definitions of cruelty based on page 6 as well as the responses to questions on page 7-8.

Mini Lesson

  • Review the sample introduction ( page 8)
  • Review a sample body paragraph ( page 10)

Student Independent Work

  1. Complete a thesis statement as a group ( page 9)
  2. Evaluate the sample essay on page 14  by using the essay rubric on page 12.

Assessment:

  • Present the evaluations in class.
  • Score the essay and write a brief rationale for the score.

Homework: Write an essay based on one of the open-ended questions. Use Oedipus as your source to illustrate your thesis. Due on Wednesday 11/9/2016.
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Lesson 10: Peer-Editing the AP Essay Lesson 

Objectives: Students will use the AP Essay rubric to peer edit each other’s essay on Oedipus.
Aim: How do we write a strong essay within a time frame of 40 minutes?

Learning Sequence: Learning Sequence:

    1. Share the 1st draft essay in a pair. Identify one strength and one weakness in your partner’s essay.
    2. Share with the findings in class.
    3. Discuss: How much time do we need to get a thorough understanding with the essay questions? ( 3 minutes)
    4. what constitutes a strong introduction within 5-7 minutes?
    5. How much time can I use for the body paragraphs( 2 usually well-developed)? ( 25-28 minutes) What goes in each paragraph? How do I develop the ideas?
    6. Writing a Conclusion should never be longer than 2-3 minutes. What should I include then?

Homework: Revise the essay. Revision due Homework: Revise the essay. Revision due
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